The Fear Games
by C. Lizzy
Summary: It's time for the 82nd annual Hunger Games! This year is going to be different than anything anyone has ever seen. The gamemakers will know your fears and personalities, and they will use them to their advantage. However when the gamemakers discover a secret about the tribute from District Ten, Kyrie Micaelson, they will do whatever they can to destroy her.
1. Chapter 1

** So, this is my first time writing a cross-over. If I don't get that many favorites/alerts/reviews, I probably won't continue, so if you're reading this, please review, even if you think it's terrible! It will be a very interesting story, I promise!**

** Also, please vote in the poll on my profile! **

** I changed this chapter just a little bit. Also, this will switch between Kyrie's and Snow's POV's.**

I lay in my bed with my head buried in my flimsy pillow. The minutes are passing by too quickly. Today is my third reaping. I'm always nervous on reaping day, but yesterday, the President announced that this years games were going to be different from anything anyone has ever seen. What could that mean? I hope I don't have to find out first-hand.

"Kyrie, you need to get dressed," mother says somberly. I nod and go into my room. I put on the nicest clothing I have, a dirty brown shirt, off-white skirt and brush out my straight, red hair and pull it into a ponytail with a white ribbon. There. Now I'm ready for the reaping. I walk back into the tiny kitchen. "Are you ready?" mother asks.

"Yes ma'am," I say, even though I'll never be truly ready.

"Then we should be going."

We make our way to the town square, where many of the other kids are already gathered. The first thing I notice is that I'm by far the most under-dressed child there, which is saying a lot being that we're on of the poorest districts. I walk to the area where the fourteen year old girls are gathering. A peacekeeper pricks my finger and dabs the blood onto a page in a book. She scans it with some sort of high-tech Capitol device. It reads Kyrianne Michelson. The woman nods, and I proceed into the holding area. Just five more minutes until the reaping starts. The old clock on the justice building ticks slowly, making the wait even more agonizing. I bite my lower lip like I do when I'm nervous. I try to focus only on breathing. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

I'm jolted from my temporary peace by the loud tolling of a bell, indicating that it's time for the reaping to begin. Our escort, Skye Philman, prances onto the stage, the clicking of her high-heels filling the otherwise silent air. She taps the microphone a few times and says, "Welcome, district ten, to the eighty-second annual Hunger Games! I know you are all anxious to find out who will have the honor of representing your district in the Hunger Games, but you will have to wait just a little longer! We have a very special video for you from the Capitol! How exciting!" On the screens, a video begins to play, talking about the dark days, the treaty of treason, the mockingjay rebellion, and how miserably it failed, how the Capitol allied with another society known to us as the Factions, how the Factions have greatly helped Panem, all that normal stuff. Boring, boring, boring. All of it, boring. The Capitol seal appears, along with five other symbols: a circle with an eye inside, the erudite symbol, a circle with a flame inside, the dauntless symbol, a circle with a tree inside, the amity symbol, a circle with a set of scales inside, the candor symbol, and a circle with an outstretched hand holding another hand,the abnegation symbol. Those are the five symbols of the Factions. The Capitol works very closely with Erudite and Dauntless. "Well, that was fun! Now onto the part you have all been waiting for! We'll begin with the gentlemen." She clicks over to the boy's bowl and pulls out a name. "Griffin Ashford!" A boy from the eighteen year old section walks down the isle. He is stone-faced, showing no emotion. Not fear, not sadness, not even the slightest twinge of nervousness. He's just, indifferent. "Let's have a round of applause for this fine young man!" We offer a weak applause, as this is not an occasion to be celebrated. "And now for the ladies!" My heart rate picks up, my breathing quickens, and my hands begin to tremble. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Screw it. "Kyrianne Michelson.!" What? Me? Oh, no. Not me. My feet feel as if they've turned to lead. "Come, come, deary, we haven't got much time." Someone gives me a small push forward. I slowly walk down the isle surrounded by peacekeepers. I keep my chin up, just like my father taught me to do. Before he died, anyway. I will not let the fear that's bubbling up inside of me show. If I did, then I'd be labeled a weakling. Of course, due to my below-average height and way below-average weight, I probably already am. But they don't know that I'm a fighter. Yet.

I take the final step onto the stage. "Congratulations, deary! Let's have a round of applause for our two tributes, Griffin Ashford, and Kyrianne Michelson.!" Everyone claps. "Now shake hands, you two!" Griffen sticks his hand out and I nervously take it, knowing that he can feel that my hand is shaking like a leaf. His emotionless expression doesn't change, though. Man, I wish I could do that.

Skye guides us into the justice building. I try to focus on the beauty of the place. It's far more luxurious than anything that I've ever seen. I wish that I didn't have to see it knowing that it will be one of the last things I see of my districts before I go into the arena. We enter an elevator, or at least I think that's what it's called, I've never been on one before. Once we get off, Skye guides us to separate rooms where we will say our goodbyes. I sit down on the soft, velvet couch and wait for my first visitor, who I assume will be my mother. But she doesn't come. I should have known she wouldn't bother to show up. Ever since my brother, the golden child, died a few months ago when he was thrown from a cow while doing a stupid dare, she has hardly even spoken to me except to tell me to get dressed or to go get her something. I have to dig around in trashcans for food, since mother refuses to provide anything for me. That's why I'm so skinny. On a good day, I might get a piece of moldy bread and a bone with a scrap of meat on it. I think that I might just die of starvation. But I fight to live. That's what makes me strong. I may appear weak, but I won't go down without a fight.

I'm too angry to cry. All I want to do is hit something or kick something, but that wouldn't be the best idea in a place like this.

Skye finally comes to get me. Griffin is still stone-faced. It doesn't look like he's been crying at all. I wish I could hide my emotions as well as he can.

"It's off to the train station!" Skye says. "There will be cameras, so look happy!"

We get into a car. Skye sits between Griffin and I. I know she's talking, but I keep my stare forward. I don't care about what she has to blabber about. We finally pull up to the train station. I plaster on a brave face and follow Skye through the maze of cameras and reporters. We have to stand at the door of the train for a few minutes so the cameras can get a good image of our faces before we enter the train.

When we do enter the train, I gasp at the beauty of the place I'm in. This makes even the Justice Building look awful. I don't know what I was expecting. I guess that I didn't think the Capitol would treat us so well before we are sent to die. Skye gives us a quick tour of the place before depositing us in the dining room to meet with our mentors. I'm not sure who they will be since all of District Ten's victors died in the mockingjay rebellion. I guess they took victors from another district or something. Skye comes in, still smiling, but looking slightly flustered.

"Well, since there are no victors from your district, the Capitol and the Factions decided to send in two people from the Dauntless Faction so you won't be without mentors. They will be here in just a moment!" she says. Dauntless. I remember from history class that they are the fearless. I guess it makes sense that they'd pull our mentors from there.

A few minutes later, two people, a man and a woman, or more like a boy and a girl come in. The girl has short blonde hair and three birds tattooed on her chest, and the boy has black hair and looks to be not too happy about being here. Both of them are clothed in all black.

"Hi," the girl says. "We will be your mentors, my name is Tris, and this," she points at the boy, "is Four."

"Four? That's a strange name," Griffin says.

"It's a nickname," Four says.

"What's your real name, then?" Griffin asks.

"That is for me to know and for you to never find out," Four says angrily. Griffin doesn't say anything else.

"Anyway, what are your names?" Tris asks.

"Griffin," Griffin says.

"Kyrie," I say as confidently as I can.

"Okay, so do either of you have any talents, strengths, or anything like that?" Tris asks.

"I'm strong, I'm fast, and I have good aim," Griffin says confidently.

"Okay, what about you, Kyrie?" Tris asks.

"Nothing," I say, all the confidence leaving my voice.

"I'm taking the boy. Good luck with her," Four says. He walks out of the room. Tris sighs.

"Don't mind him. He's a lot nicer than he seems," she says. "Griffin, you can go ahead back to your bedroom. Be back here at three. Kyrie, wait here." Griffin nods, and walks out of the room. Tris doesn't say anything until we hear the sound of a door shutting. Once we do, she asks, "I'm going to go ahead and tell you what we're going to be doing in a half an hour. We're going to be giving you and Griffin something called an aptitude test. This is something given to people where I live to decide which Faction we are best suited for. What will happen is you will have a hallucination that will put you through some different scenarios. It's not really that bad, but you'll be undergoing some more simulations as the days progress that are not as easy."

"Okay, but how is that relevant to the games?" I ask. Tris's face darkens.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you," she says. She smiles slightly. "I have a good feeling about you. Now, go back to your room and get ready. You've got about thirty minutes." I nod, and go back to my room. I lay on the huge bed and stare at the ceiling. Tears come to my eyes as I let the fear and sadness take over. _No. _I tell myself. I will not cry. I attempt to blink my tears back, but they spill over onto my cheeks. The next thing I know, I'm crying into a pillow, just like I do on the nights I fall asleep and doubt that I'll wake up.

There's a loud knock on the door, but I ignore it. Whoever it is knocks again, and once again, I ignore it. The door creeks open, and Tris comes in. I realize that I'm still clutching the soft purple pillow and throw it to the side. I try to compose myself the best that I can, but it's too late. Tris has already seen me crying. Great. So much for having a good feeling about me.

"It's time for the test," Tris says. I glance over at the clock, which reads 3:35. Oh, great. I'm late.

"Oh, no! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to be late, really I did-"

"Don't apologize, it's okay. It's perfectly understandable for you to be upset," she says.

"I'm not upset," I say, a bit too quickly.

"It's okay to be afraid," she says softly.

"I thought you were Dauntless, the brave. I thought fear was the worst thing to you," I say. She smiles a bit.

"Everyone is afraid of something. Even Dauntless. The least amount of fears anyone has ever had is four," she says.

"Oh, I get it. It was Four, wasn't it?" I say. Tris nods.

"You, got it," she says.

"How do they know how many fears you have?" I ask.

"You'll find out," she says. She stands up. "Come on, we're already late." We walk to the dining car, where Skye, Four, and Griffin are waiting. Four rolls his eyes.

"Could you be any later?" he asks impatiently. Tris shoots him a look. I take the seat between Griffin and Tris.

"In a few minutes, you will be taking a test. It's nothing major, just a personality assesment," Four says.

"Why do you need to know our personality?" Griffin asks impatiently.

"That's confidential," Four says. He stands up. "Griffin, follow me." Griffin stands up and follows Four out of the room. Four only pauses to look back at Tris. "Aren't you coming?"

"In a minute," Tris says. Four mumbles something under his breath that I can't understand. Skye leaves the room also. My heel bounces nervously, and I bite my lip. "Don't stress about this. This is nothing. You'll do fine," Tris says calmly. She stands up and motions for me to follow her. I nervously follow her to a dimly lit room with a computer-like device and a strange looking chair. She instructs me to sit down in the chair. After I do, she stands behind me and attaches some wires to me. Then, she hands me a vial of clear liquid. "Drink this," she says. I lift the vial to my mouth and swallow the stuff. Before the hallucinations start, I hear one word.

_Relax._


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to my two reviewers, ega5255 and Tamayaa! **

**By the way, Jeanine isn't dead in this story.**

**I've decided that this story is going to be a sort of side-project, so updates may be few and far between. Sorry!**

**Kyries's POV**

I'm standing in front of a table. Before me are two baskets. One holds a knife, the other holds a piece of bread.

"Choose," a voice says from behind me.

"Why?" I ask.

"Choose!" The voice repeats, more forcefully this time. I look thoughtfully at the baskets, and come to the conclusion that I should take the knife, because it will allow me to defend myself. I pick up the knife, and the baskets disappear. A door squeaks open and a creature on four legs crouches low and starts to creep towards me, its teeth bared. The word that comes to mind is dog. I've only seen a few, just strays here and there, but none like this. None of them were this violent. Fear builds inside of me as the dog lets out a ferocious growl. I take a deep breath and try not to look at the dog coming closer and closer. Then I remember, I have a knife. The dog barks loudly, and I pull the knife out. I the dog's hot breath on my leg. It tackles me to the ground. I start wildly swinging the knife around, hoping to at least injure the dog enough to where it will get off of me. It yelps loudly once before snapping at my face. I manage to pull myself onto a table, slightly out of the dog's reach. It crouches low to the ground, preparing to jump. My heart beats wildly. This is how I'm going to die. Maybe it will be better this way, better than dying in the arena. But wait. None of this is real. This is all a hallucination. The dog is about to jump when a high, child-like voice pierces the air.

"Puppy!" the voice says. I immediately turn around to see a little girl dressed in a white dress running towards the dog. The dog barks loudly and snaps. Without thinking, I throw myself between the snapping dog and the little girl. "I want to pet the puppy!" the girl pleads.

"Stay behind me," I say, just before the dog lunges for my throat. I realize that I dropped the knife while running to the table. I have nothing to defend myself with. _Not real, not real_, I remind myself. I scream and close my eyes just before the dog's teeth close around my neck, waiting for the pain to come, but it never does. When I open my eyes, I'm back in the test room, but I'm the only one in there. I open the doors and I'm on a strange vehicle. A bunch of strangers fill all of the seats. I go the back and hold onto a poll. In the seat next to me is a strange man reading a newspaper. His hands are scarred and burned. I wonder what district he works in.

"Do you know this guy?" he asks angrily. I look at the picture he's pointing to. The man looks oddly familiar, but I can't figure out why. The headline on the newspaper is "Brutal Murderer Finally Apprehended." I feel like I should tell the truth, but I'm not a good liar. This man would see straight through me.

"Well? Do you?" he asks. I get the feeling that it's a bad idea to tell him that I know the man, but before I can stop myself, I blurt out:

"Yes."

"Thank you!" the man says. "You've saved me!" I give him a confused look. How could telling him that I recognize a murderer save him?

I wake up from the hallucination. Tris removes the wires from my head. She starts punching keys on the machine, her brow creased.

"Is something wrong?" I ask, confused. She doesn't answer me. Judging by the worried look on her face, I'd say something is definitely wrong.

She steps away from the keyboard with a sigh. She sits down on a small stool next to my chair. "So... Your results were... interesting," she says. I don't think she means interesting in a good way. "They were quite similar to mine actually."

"Is that bad?" I ask.

"Um... in this case... yes. What should have happened is each step of the hallucination should have eliminated one choice of personality. In your case, only two were eliminated, and they were peaceful and intelligent." Well, that's a bit offensive. "Anyway, what we call that where I come from is Divergent. It means that you can tell when you're in a simulation and in some cases, control it. Most divergents have three eliminated, but in very rare cases there are people like us that only have two eliminated," she says.

"Why is that bad?" I ask. She pauses for a moment before continuing.

"I can't tell you that, but I can tell you this: keep yourself average."

"Why? Are we going to have to do this again?"

"Sort of, but they're going to be different. You'll be injected with a serum that will cause a hallucination that you will only come out of once you calm yourself down." I nod. I start running through a list of everything I'm afraid of. The list goes on and on and on. Boy, are these tests going to be fun. "I entered your results by hand so that it will look like you only got honest, where as in reality you got honest, selfless, and brave. Do not tell anyone about this. In fact, don't even say the word divergent."

"Why?"

"Just trust me, okay?" She stands up from the stool. "Let's go eat dinner."

We walk back into the dining car, where Skye, Griffin, and Four are eating already. As soon as I sit down, a server sets a bowl of orange soup and a full basket of bread in front of me. I take a bite of the soup. It's delicious! I've never tasted anything like it.

"Do you like the pumpkin soup?" Skye asks.

"Yes, it's wonderful," I say. In minutes, I down the entire bowl of soup. It's more food than I normally eat in a week. I take a bite of one of the rolls. It's round, light, fluffy, and buttery. Very different from the coarse, grainy bread we have in ten. Some of the richer people can afford bakery bread, but poor people have to make disgusting, grainy biscuits from tesserae bread. This bread must be from the Capitol.

One of the servers takes my bowl away and replaces it with a plate of lamb chops, tiny vegetables in a yellow sauce, and a small, white grain that Skye calls rice. I've had lamb once or twice before my father died. He'd sneak some out of the slaughter houses for us when he got a chance. But that's what got him killed. A peacekeeper caught him taking meat one day. They let him off with a warning the first time, but the second time, they executed him. I never looked at meat the same way after that, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy it. This lamb is nothing like any of the stuff dad used to make. I guess they must have put some sort of sauce on it. The vegetables and rice are good, too.

"So! Are you two ready for the Capitol?" Skye asks Griffin and I.

"Yeah," Griffin says nonchalantly.

"I guess so," I say.

"Oh, you will love it! So much nicer than your district," Skye says. I have to bite my tongue to keep from snapping back at her. District Ten may not be nice by any standard, but it's home. And no one offends my home.

The servers take away our plates and put a chocolate cake in the center of the table. They cut it and serve each of us a huge slice. I've never had cake or chocolate before, but I've heard it's good. I take a bite. It literally melts in my mouth. It's sweet, but not too sweet. Even though I'm stuffed, I eat the entire chunk.

"Just like Dauntless," Four says.

"Na, I'd say it's better," Tris says.

"You got to eat stuff like this all the time?" I ask in amazement.

"Yeah," Four says. "Don't you?"

"Nope. We're lucky to get this amount of food in a month," Griffin says.

"Wow, no wonder you two are eating like you'll never eat again," Four says.

"Well, in a week, we might not," Griffin says. I'm surprised that he can refer to the games so easily. The servers pick up our empty plates. Now that our meal is over, I feel like I might throw up. Thankfully, Skye dismisses us to our rooms fairly quickly. She tells us to be back at eight to watch the recap of the reapings.

**Snow's POV**

"Let's take a look at our tributes, shall we?" I say. Jeanine, my good friend and coworker from Erudite, and Florian LaBelle, the head gamemaker, come over to the large screen I sit in front of. I tap the button that says _District One, Male _on it, and a screen of information comes up. _Name: Julian Bryant Age: 15 Height: 5'10 Weight: 136 lbs. Aptitude Results: Candor Volunteer: No. _In the top left corner, there is an image of the boy. He's got black hair, brown eyes, and a fairly muscular build. Florian nods in approval.

"He looks like a tough one," he says.

"Indeed. But I do not approve of him getting Candor. Let's move on," I say. I tap the button reading _District One, Female. Name: Silver Belmont Age: 17 Height: 5'8 Weight: 119 Aptitude Results: Dauntless Volunteer: No._

"Do you approve of her, sir?" Florian asks.

"Yes. I do. Take note of her," I say. Florian scribbles something on a notepad.

Next is the District Two male. _Name: Hugo Willman Age: 18 Height: 6'4 Weight: 145 lbs Aptitude Results: Dauntless Volunteer: No. _

"I like him. Write him down," I say.

None of the other tributes really stand out. That is, until we get to District Ten.

_Name: Kyrianne Michelson Age: 14 Height: 5'2 Weight: 75 lbs. Aptitude results: Candor Volunteer: No. _Nothing would've caught my attention, except for the fact that the aptitude results were red instead of black like they should have been.

"Jeanine, what does this mean?" I ask. She squints at the screen.

"I believe it means that the results were entered manually," she says.

"Why would someone do that?" I ask.

"I'm not sure, but I can get into the system and figure out why," she says. I stand up from my stool and allow Jeanine to sit in front of the screen. She begins to tap the screen quickly, so quickly that I can't keep up.

"Have you found anything?" I ask. She holds up a finger to silence me while still tapping the screen. A few minutes later, she stops tapping and examines the screen carefully. All I see are a bunch of letters and numbers that make no sense. That's why I have Jeanine, so she can figure this stuff out.

What feels like hours later, Jeanine pushes back from the screen. "She's Divergent," she says. I nod. That's what we were looking out for. These Divergents are dangerous in these games. They will be able to outsmart the system, so to say.

"Between what?" I ask.

"Well, she's not like any normal divergent. She's got three. Candor, Abnegation, and Dauntless," she says.

"What can we do about it?" I ask.

"Have a faulty landmine and blow her up," Florian suggests.

"No, that's too obvious. She's so tiny and weak anyway, she'll die in the bloodbath," I say.

"And if she doesn't?" Florian asks.

"You're the gamemaker, figure it out!" I shout. I walk over to him and get right up in his face. "You know what I did to your father," I hiss in his ear. He nods, his eyes dilated in fear. "You don't want me to do the same to you, now do you?" He shakes his head. I get out of his face. "Then make sure that girl dies."

**Kyrie's POV**

"Time to watch the reapings!" Skye says. I sit on the edge of the couch as far away from everyone as I can get, which isn't far. The closest person is Tris, thank goodness.

"Take note of your competition," Four says.

The Capitol anthem plays and the District One reaping starts. Neither of the tributes really stuck except for the fact that they are careers. They cut to the district two reaping. Both tributes, a huge boy and a tall girl, both volunteer. Combine their height, the fact that they're careers, and the fact that they volunteered, makes them really stick. They're both extremely intimidating.

Only a few of the tributes really stick. The tributes from two, the boy from four, who volunteers, the girl from seven, who's so tiny, she looks like she'd break if you tapped her shoulder, the girl from twelve, who breaks down in tears on stage, and the boy from thirteen, who, surprisingly, volunteers. I should have tried to remember the tributes better, but I don't think it will really matter in the arena. I'll need to watch out for everyone, not just the ones who look strong or volunteered.

Skye sends us to bed. I change into pajamas, something I've never really had before, and crawl under the fluffy blanket. Even with all these luxuries I've never had before, I can't fall asleep. After two hours, I decide to get up and get a glass of water. Sometimes that helps me fall asleep. I quietly make my way to the dining room, trying not to wake anyone up. When I get there, I hear voices. I stay just out of sight, but I can still hear the conversation.

"-to kill her!"

"I know, but I've got to help her."

"There's nothing you can do. She's weak, she's got no skills-"

"We aren't all born with the ability to throw knives."

"As I was saying, there's no way you can get her out of there. Give it up!" I realize that they're talking about me. I know I should go back, but curiosity wins over.

"But Tobias, she's like us." Silence. Who's Tobias?

"Well that changes things."

"You think?"

"How much have you told her?"

"More than I should've."

"How much is that?"

"Well... I told her she's divergent, explained what it means, told her that some of us can control simulations..."

"You're leaving something out."

"I told her that they were using the data for the arena." Another pause.

"Great. Now you're going to get yourself and her killed."

"I think I should tell her more, though. I really think she could make it."

"Tris, I can't let you do it. You'll get yourself killed. I can't let that happen."

"Watch me." I decide to go back to my room before I hear anything else I'm not supposed to hear. I hope Tris doesn't get herself kill because of the information she shared with me. I figured if she was telling me, then she was allowed to. Now I'm worried. If the gamemakers find out that I know too much, what kind of death will they give me in the arena? Blow me up with a "faulty mine," send some sort of mutt after me, prevent me from getting food and water, the list of possible deaths is endless. I fall asleep dreaming of different ways I might die.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but 1) I'm working on another story (It's called Worst Nightmare. It's one of my other stories, 'Let the Games Begin Again' told from Katniss's POV. You should check it out!) and 2) I just started the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare and I kinda got wrapped up in them (I finished the first one in three days). **

**Anyway, enough rambling. Enjoy the chapter! And please review!**

**Kyrie's POV**

"Wake up, deary! We're almost in the Capitol!" Skye shouts from outside my door. I wish she'd quit calling me "deary." I grudgingly get up and take a quick shower, put on a knee-length white dress with a pink sash around the waist, pull my hair into a messy bun, and make my way to the dining car. Only Skye and Four are there. One of the servers sets a plate of eggs, sausage, something called a crepe that is filled with strawberries and blueberries, a basket of bread, and a glass of orange juice. Everything is delicious, but the crepe is my favorite. I think blueberries might be my new favorite food.

Tris enters the room a few minutes after I come in. She looks concerned about something, but I opt not to ask. Griffin comes a bit later, looking exhausted. I imagine he didn't get a whole lot of sleep. I don't know how anyone could get much sleep knowing they're going to have to fight to the death in a few days.

"Are you two excited about seeing the Capitol?" Skye asks. Didn't she ask us this yesterday? Both of us nod. "You're going to love it!"

"Make sure to at least try to look happy," Tris says. It occurs to me that someone probably told them what advice to give us since they probably just found out what the Hunger Games are.

"But you won't have to _try_," Skye says. "You'll be happy anyway, right?"

"Sure," I say. She's so stupid sometimes. Wait, scratch that. _All _the time.

"What will we do when we get there?" Griffin asks.

"We will show you around the Training Center and then you'll be free to do what you want. Inside the Training Center, that is. Tomorrow, you will meet your stylists and go to the opening ceremonies. Won't that be exciting?" Skye says.

"It seems kind of sick, you know," Four says. "Parading kids around in costumes and then sending them to fight to the death. What's the point of it all?" Tris sharply elbows him.

"Sick? The Games? No, deary, the games are exciting, entertaining, not sick!" Skye exclaims.

"So you call watching children kill each other entertaining?" Four asks. Tris elbows him again.

"Yes, don't you?" Skye asks.

"No! I think it's terrible!" Four says.

"It's not much different from Dauntless," Tris says. No one says anything for a moment. Skye looks at her watch.

"Oh! Look at the time! We should be arriving in the Capitol in five minutes!" she says.

"Oh, joy," Griffin mumbles under his breath.

"I'm glad to see you two made an effort to look presentable!" Skye says. "But..." She walks over to me and starts messing with my hair. "Leave your hair down, deary. You look younger that way." Why is she concerned with how young I look? Shouldn't I be making an effort to look older and in turn stronger? Whatever. I don't feel like arguing with Skye. "Go stand by the window and smile at the people!" Griffin and I stand by the windows. I have to stand on a small stool for the people to be able to get a decent view of my face. It's kind of embarrassing being that Griffin has to bend his knees to be the right height.

A couple minutes later, the Capitol comes into view. I'm taken aback by how beautiful this place is. No cameras have been able to capture just how beautiful this place really is. As we get closer, I begin to notice just how bizarre the people look. One person has whiskers and a tail, another has blue gems covering his blue skin, while another has feathers sticking out of her neon green hair. They make Skye's powder blue hair and unnaturally white skin seem tame. I look over at Griffin, who is putting on a very convincing smile and waving at the crowd of people gathered by the tracks. I try my best to imitate him, but I've never been good at faking emotions. Maybe these people aren't smart enough to see past my strained smile.

The train pulls into the station and comes to a halt. I start to back away from the window, but Skye tells me to remain there until she instructs us to move. She whispers a few things to Four and Tris that I can't make out before telling us to prepare to exit the train. You'd think exiting a train would be simple. Tell that to Skye. There has to be a specific order about how things are done. She must exit first, then me, then Griffin (because she doesn't want me hidden because of his height), then Four, then Tris. She babbles on and on about how we must present ourselves, how we must have good posture, how we must be confident, blah, blah, blah.

"Should we sing a song and dance, too?" I ask her using a mock politeness. Everyone stares at me. Skye in horror, Griffin in bewilderment, and Four and Tris in something close to approving.

"Young lady! How dare you speak to your escort that way?" Skye says. I try to come up with a good comeback, but I can't, so I just shrug. She huffs, and turns back to the door, still looking extremely ruffled. "Is everyone ready?" she asks.

"Yes," we all groan.

"Good!" she exclaims. She presses a button and the door slides open. We step out of the train and receive thunderous applause. I wonder what it's like for more popular districts, like district two. It's a wonder their tributes don't go deaf before the even get to the arena.

Skye leads us through the crowds of people while we smile and wave. This act is getting old, but this is only the beginning. I've still got to get through the opening ceremonies and interview first. Just thinking about the interview makes me sick. I just know I'm going to be awful. I push thoughts of the interview to the back of my mind and focus on the task at hand- getting to the training center.

We eventually get to the training center and get in the elevator. We rocket up to the tenth floor and step out. I had thought the train was beautiful, but it pales in comparison. Everything is so beautiful, so different from home.

Home. Just thinking about it brings a pang of sadness. I miss the grassy fields, the soft mooing of the cattle. I wish I was back there. Then I remember the feeling of being full, something that's almost become alien to me. Now that I think about it, the Capitol's not too bad.

Skye gives us- Tris and Four included- a quick tour of our floor and teaches us about all the different gadgets before allowing us to go to our room. She tells us that we have to be back in the dining room by noon for another test. Another? Tris did say we'd be doing a lot of these. Are we going to have to do one every day until we get to the arena? I shudder at the memory of the dog snapping at my face. What does our personality have to do with the games anyway? I shrug at my own thought.

I take the time that we have to get ready to take a shower. Skye spent at least a half an hour explaining how it works. I do my best to recall which button turns the water on, which warms it up, which brings soap, which brings shampoo. After I rinse off, I step out onto the soft, lime green mat. Fans blow warm air on me and dry me off. I place my hand on a button and my hair dries and untangles. I wrap a white towel around my self and walk into mu room. Skye insisted on helping me program the closet to my "tastes" which is hard, since I don't really have a "taste." She eventually gave up and just programmed it to what she thinks my "taste" should be. Now, as I see the outfit selected for me, I regret letting her do it. Before me is a frilly pink dress with puffy sleeves and white polka dots, and a pair of shiny silver high-heeled shoes. I go over to the programmer and attempt to reprogram the closet. I punch in a bunch of random things that seem to fit me, and it selects a simple, button-up, white shirt, knee-length pants made of some sort of dark blue material, and simple, brown shoes with little ribbons on them. I pull my hair back into a ponytail with a white ribbon. I hope Skye isn't angry that I didn't wear her outfit, but it was so... so... ugly.

There's still an hour before we have to be back in the room. I lay down on the enormous bed and toy around with the window view remote. I flip through different images, the Capitol street, a desert, a mountain, a forest, a beach, a grassy field. There. That's perfect. It looks almost like home. I watch as a breeze rustles the grass. A part of me is waiting to hear the soothing sound of the grazing cattle mooing, but it never comes. I feel another pang of homesickness. I change the scene back to the beach. The sound of rolling waves and the calling of seagulls eases the homesickness a little bit. I've never been to the beach before, but I've always wanted to. Sometimes I fantasize about visiting district four and going to their beaches. Ever since I saw an image of one of the beaches in a history textbook, I've wanted to at least visit, if not live there. But that's one dream that I know will never come true. Communications between districts are prohibited, even between people like mayors. They suspected that was how the mockingjay rebellion really got going, when someone saw something on the mayor's television about an uprising in another district. The Capitol won't let that happen again. Ever.

At around eleven forty-five, I decide to make my way to the dining hall. Might as well get there early. The only other person there is Tris, unsurprisingly. She looks up when she hears me enter the room. I down in one of the seats.

"What exactly are we doing with this next test?" I ask.

"This test is sort of like the first, but instead of personality, this one will observe your fears. You'll have a hallucination that will be based on one of your fears that you will only come out of once you have calmed yourself down," she says with a slight edge of nervousness. For some reason, I get the feeling that it's related to me being divergent.

"Sounds delightful," I say sarcastically. She smiles a little bit. I wonder what fear I will face in my hallucination.

A couple minutes later, Four comes in. He takes the seat in between me and Tris. I try to scoot away from him as inconspicuously as possible. I do not feel comfortable sitting anywhere close to him. Skye comes in a bit later, fluffing her freshly-curled hair.

"How do you like the Capitol?" she asks me enthusiastically. It takes all my strength not to say _I hate it and I want to go home._

"It's wonderful," I say as convincingly as I can. "It's nothing like I imagined it to be." That much is true.

"Isn't it so much better than that old district of yous?" That's it. I've had it with her.

"Will you please quit offending my district?" I ask harshly. Skye gives me a stunned look, but she keeps her mouth shut. '

Once Griffin comes in, Four gives a quick speech about how this next test will work. I don't pay much attention to it. After he's done, we stand up and go to the elevators. We go to an underground room with twenty-four separate doors, each for a separate tribute, I guess. We stop in front of the ones marked _District 10, Male _and _District 10, Female. _Tris and I enter the one with female on it, of course. The room is set up just like the one on the train, with a weird chair and computer. I expect Tris to put more wire on me, but instead, she pulls out a syringe filled with an orange liquid. There's a large needle on the end of it. I tense up at the sight of it. Tris notices that and reassures me that it doesn't hurt too bad. _Too bad, _being the key words in that sentence. She begins to lower the needle towards my neck, but I pull away.

"It's worse if you try to fight it," she says. All I manage to do is shake my head. She sets the needle down and sits on a small stool. "I promise, it only hurts for a second, then it's done." I shake my head again. "I'll do it quick, I promise." I shake my head again. She sighs and takes the needle again. My eyes widen at the sight of it. She takes my hand in her free one. "When it hurts, squeeze my hand, okay?" I manage a slight nod. The needle touches my neck and I jump. I squeeze my eyes shut. The needle goes in and pain shoots though my neck. I squeeze Tris's hand. A small shriek escapes my lips. The pain fades as the needle pulls out of my neck. I open my eyes a little bit.

"Was it that bad?" Tris asks. I shake my head, embarrassed. "The serum will go into effect in sixty seconds." I nod. "The first time isn't easy, but you'll do fine." She smiles reassuringly. "To come out of the simulation, you have to calm yourself down." Her expression turns serious. "And don't try to manipulate it." she whispers. Manipulate it? What does she mean? Before I can find out, my eyes shut.

When I open them again, everything is dark. Completely dark. Panic starts to build inside of me. I hate the dark. Hate it, hate it, hate it.

The sound of heavy breathing fills the air. It seems to come from nowhere. I let out a small shriek and stumble backward, running into something. Something warm, a hand, comes down on my shoulder. I scream and try to escape, but the grip on my shoulder tightens and another hand covers my mouth. My heart is beating a thousand miles a minute. The person's hand wraps around my stomach and lifts me into the air. I scream for help, but the sound is muffled by the hand. I try to kick my attacker, but they don't notice. If they do, it doesn't affect them. I try to wriggle free from their grasp, but they tighten their grip on me so I can hardly breathe. I'm going to die. This person is going to kill me. If only I had something to fight back with. Anything...

Something cold materializes in my hand. A knife. A knife! I stab what I think is an arm. The person screams and drops me. For a second, I'm falling, then I hit the cold floor. I close my eyes.

I'm back in the chair. I search frantically for my attacker, but the only other person that's there is Tris. I pull my knees to my chest and lean my head on them. My body is shaking, my breathing is heavy, and my heart is still racing. I swear I can still feel the hands wrapped around me, carrying me away.

It occurs to me that I am not in the least bit calmed down. How did I come out of the hallucination then? I had a knife and I stabbed the person...

_Don't try to manipulate it._

I manipulated it.

Something tells me that was the worst mistake I could've made.


End file.
